


The spider web

by Laitalee



Category: Star Wars, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Jedi Positivity, Mentioned Jedi Order (Star Wars), Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Post-First Battle of Geonosis (Star Wars), Writing Exercise, uncomfortable obi-wan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:34:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29965752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laitalee/pseuds/Laitalee
Summary: A little scene during a party that Palpatine has decided to throw, after the battle of Geonosis, and Obi-Wan has a lot of thoughts about his former padawan.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	The spider web

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, i’m trying again. It’s mostly an exercise for my cruncky written english, so forgive me for all the mistakes i surely made writing this shit. I didn’t even have a plot, it all started with a nice pic of Ewan McGregor, that made me think about a very uncomfortable Obi-Wan, so don’t expect it to go any direction. It’s merely a writing exercise, but of course, comments and corrections are very welcomed.  
> I wanted to write something about how relationships are viewed in the Jedi Order, without some of my most dreaded misconceptions about jedi being cold and incapable of love.

There, again. He wasn’t even trying to be uncospicuos.

“Anakin, for good’s sake.” Thought Obi-Wan, watching his former Padawan flirting with Padmé, at the Chancellor party after the Opera, just weeks after the battle of Geonosis. He had to wear one of those uncomfortable civilian suit, and his lightsaber was in a pocket inside the jacket, instead of having it at his belt, as usual, and he felt out of place, almost naked. Leaning on the side of the door to the terrace, with the wind of upper Coruscant muffling the sound of traffic outside, he felt a bit lost, and Anakin was making a fool of himself, in the middle of the party. But trying to stop, in that moment, would just resulted in an unpleasant discussion, late that night at the Temple, and he had enough of bickering with Anakin, that day. 

They already discussed about the opportunity to attend the party, and both Obi-Wan and the Council tried to talk the Chancellor off from that idea of the party, thinking that there was absolutely nothing to celebrate, at the beginning of a war that nobody wanted, but Palpatine was sure it was a way to reassure people that the war would be easily win and everything was as always. But all the Jedi had a very bad feeling about that. Discovering a huge clone army, the same moment when Dooku displayed his droid army, was a clear sign that this war would be all but short.

Obi-Wan sighted. He knew how dangerous it was for Anakin to pursue any kind of relationship with the Naboo Senator. If only she was a Jedi herself, things could be easier. The rule was against attachment, not against relationships, and mostly the Council agreed that the biggest problem came when one of the person involved didn’t share the sentimental education that the Jedi Order gave their children. Padawan were taught to speak openly about their feelings since childhood, to masters, to counselors, between themselves, the aim being to be able to rationalize emotion and deal with them without being clouded and misguided. When padawans hit their teen, or the developmental age in which hormones started to rush and was almost impossible not to feel a strong urge to discover love and sex, they were guided through relationships, learned to talk frankly with their partners, so that any problem and eventual breakups were less painful possible, and no bad feelings could develop. As an adult, a jedi could freely choose to be entirely celibate or to have relationships, and if the partner was a jedi too, it wasn’t much of a fuss. Mostly, it was an open secret that a lot of couples existed inside the order, nothing to make a show off, but neither to hide. 

Having a relationship with someone outside the order, on the other side, was a completely different thing, and often it was a total mess. Obi-Wan knew it well. 

Satine... her face never left his memory, and he could recognize he had a faint feeling for her, after all those years. Mostly because they had to depart. She was the next Duchess of Mandalore, he was a jedi. She wanted, kriff, she needed someone able to stay with her, to fight with her, to be... a partner. She even stated it, but she never asked him to be her partner. Had she asked... Obi-Wan knew that his answer would be yes. He’d left the Order, for her. With no remorse? That was entirely another question, with no easy answer. But a choice had to be made, there was no other way around. 

And that was where Anakin was having hard time to understand. That boy, kriff, that man didn’t understand that his master attempt to talk about Padmé was not an intrusion, was real concern. Obi-Wan was extremely worried, he tried to tell him that he, or anyone in the Order was more than willing to help him, but Anakin had the same problem since they found him on Tatooine, and that was the reason Master Yoda was so wary of the Chosen One. His tendency to hide his feelings, to storm out of a room, trying to convince everyone and himself that he was good, and he knew what he had to do, was a wall behind he was almost out of reach, even for the people who loved him most. 

If there wasn’t a war in sight, maybe Obi-Wan could just shrug it off as a thing to work with Anakin, in time, with the mental space his former padawan needed to mature more, but it wasn’t the moment. Not if they must be ready to leave Coruscant in any moment to fight a war where they could die in any moment, and with thousands of innocent lives, men built to be meat for the war, to watch upon. Clones deserved better, they needed a guidance able to remember that they were people too, and not machines to be used and discarded. They were slaves, in a sense, and Obi-Wan remembered the cold shivers he had on Camino, when he discovered them. It took all his training not to scream, when he saw all those kids, the apparent age of Anakin when he took him as padawan, all with the same age, learning war tactics and fight, and all those man, the same face again and again and again, ready to fight for a Republic that didn’t even know they existed and didn’t care for them. It was so much against all his deep beliefs and faith in the light side of the Force that he still feared the fist day of war, when he’ll be asked to guide them in battle. How could he, let all this men be killed in a war that was so clearly sensless, from the start? Satine was a pacifist, and they mostly agreed that war or conflicts were to be avoided til the last chance, that negotiation where always the best option. He wasn’t maybe so extreme as her, he agreed with Qui-Gon that some forme of defence was needed, but never offence. 

This war? Was really necessary? Weren’t they hardly failing already, as a democracy and as a Order, to let things slide so far?  
Another headache. 

Obi-Wan picked another glass of that sweet golden wine from Alderaan that smelled like flowers and remembered that there was no good in worrying about the future. Only the present, the Living Force. He almost felt the hand of Qui-Gon on his shoulder. Sometimes he had the impression that his late master whispered some wise words in his ears, but it was just grief and memory, he knew. He breathed deeply a couple of time, before drinking. 

Tomorrow. He’ll talk with Anakin, trying to put some good sense in that rocky head of his, but for now he was done. He went to the Chancellor to give his respect before leaving and headed to the Temple. 

Anakin saw him leaving. A pang of guilt hit him, he even thought to go and tell him something, maybe just that they would talk the next day, but Palpatine choose that moment to put a hand on his new prosthetic hand. 

“My boy!” the old man said, smiling. “I hope you’re enjoying this little party. And you look very handsome in this suit, much better than those jedi suit. You should always dress in black, it suits you, you know! Don’t you agree, Senator Amidala?” He asked, looking at Padme and noticing that faint blush that colored the former Naboo queen, as she looked to Anakin, and smiled more. “I wish the jedi could lend you to us” he said, waving the hand to the hall full of people “more often, you’re our hero, you know! But I guess that being a jedi means sacrifice, isn’t it?”

Anakin nodded, smiling and exchanging a brief look with Padme, and they both looked away, a bit awkwardly. The thought of Obi-Wan was almost obliterate, just a distant worry behind the curtains. 

Palpatine smiled. Adulation was the right weapon, with Anakin. Oh, he knew it very well, afar form his former master and in the middle of coruscani jet set, Anakin was at his weakest... how easy it was! Palpatine had almost hard time restraining himself from laughing hard. 

The spider web was in place.


End file.
